Perseids meteor shower peaks at Aug. 13’s dawn

Vietnamese astronomy aficionados will have a chance to enjoy the
Perseids, one of the most beautiful meteor showers of the year, that
will peak between the night of August 12 and the dawn next day.

Astronomer
Nguyen Duc Phuong from the Hanoi-based Vietnam National University said
observers could see 60 – 80 meteors per hour and even 100 in good
weather.

The best time to contemplate the spectacle will be at around 2 a.m. on August 13, he added.

The
Perseids occurs when debris shed by the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle hit the
Earth’s atmosphere. It usually takes place from mid-July to mid-August
every year.

However, the shower this year happens on the 17th
and 18th day of the seventh lunar month, when the full moon’s
brightness may hamper the viewing, Phuong noted.

Meteor showers
can be seen with the naked eye without any harm, and observers are
recommended to get places that are not obstructed by artificial lights
such as mountainous or coastal areas in order to have the best view of
the phenomenon.-VNA